Allan Kennedy
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allankennedy.bsky.social
Allan Kennedy
@allankennedy.bsky.social
Lecturer in Scottish History. Social and political history of early modern Scotland. Find me via the University of Dundee: https://www.dundee.ac.uk/people/allan-kennedy
Reposted by Allan Kennedy
In one of our newest #OpenAccess articles,
@allankennedy.bsky.social (from @dundee.ac.uk) views petitioning in early modern Scotland as a mechanism of interaction between ruler and ruled:

'Petitioning the Justiciary Court in Restoration Scotland, 1660–88'

tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
October 16, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Pleased to see my interview with the BBC History Extra podcast has now gone live! Had great fun chatting with Emily Briffett about my book on 'Serious Crime in Late Seventeenth-Century Scotland'. www.historyextra.com/membership/c...
Bandits & blasphemers: crime in 17th century Scotland
Allan Kennedy unpacks what looking at crime and punishment can reveal about Scottish values in the 17th century
www.historyextra.com
October 15, 2025 at 9:07 AM
My latest article, 'Petitioning the Justiciary Court in Restoration Scotland', has now been published online, and far sooner than I expected. Enjoy (!) my musings on petitioning, political engagement, and the judicial system in 17th century Scotland: doi.org/10.1080/0260...
Petitioning the Justiciary Court in Restoration Scotland, 1660–88
Scholars have long recognized that petitioning played a central role in early modern political systems. Analysis of the practice, particularly in a British context, has tended to emphasize its func...
www.tandfonline.com
September 29, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Two nice bits of news this week. First, the manuscript for my textbook on early modern Scotland has been submitted to the publisher. And second, I've had another article accepted. 'Petitioning the Justiciary Court in Restoration Scotland' should be out with PER later this year.🍾🍾
September 19, 2025 at 8:51 AM
Only just got my hands on this (first day back in the office after summer leave), but delighted to see my essay on the Highlands and 17th-century state-formation published in Julian Goodare's festschrift - especially because it's in the company of so many other top-notch scholars!
August 5, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Pleased to have had a new article accepted for publication! 🍾🍾

Subject to some revisions, 'Petitioning the Justiciary Court in Restoration Scotland' should appear in 'Parliaments, Estates and Representation' within the next few months.
August 2, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Very lovely that @edinburghup.bsky.social still send you physical copies of the relevant journal issue when you publish an article. So nice to see my new piece in a format other than digital!
June 11, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Delighted to see my latest article on 'Prosecuting Rape in Seventeenth-Century Scotland' published in the Journal of Scottish Historical Studies. Not the easiest topic to read or write about, but hopefully of some value nonetheless.
euppublishing.com/doi/10.3366/...
Prosecuting Rape in Seventeenth-century Scotland | Journal of Scottish Historical Studies
Since at least the 1970s, rape, and male sexual violence against women more generally, has been a recurring focus of feminist historiography. While this body of scholarship has provoked criticism, it ...
euppublishing.com
June 4, 2025 at 10:30 AM
I'll be in Montrose on Monday evening discussing 'Meet the Buchanans', a new documentary about the inauguration of a new chief for Clan Buchanan. Come along to hear my reflections on Highland History and its relationship to the modern world!
tickets.montroseplayhouse.co.uk/movie/meet-t...
Meet The Buchanans + Panel Discussion
For over 300 years, the Scottish Clan Buchanan has been without a chief. That is, until now… Historical fact and historical fantasy collide in Meet the Buchanans, an offbeat documentary observing the...
tickets.montroseplayhouse.co.uk
May 16, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Heading up to Aberdeen today to talk to the Research Institute of Irish and Scottish Studies. Looking forward to discussing 'Petitioning the Justiciary Court in Restoration Scotland' - and also looking forward to my first visit to the Granite City in absolute ages!
April 29, 2025 at 8:23 AM
🚨 FIRST DRAFT EXISTS! 🚨

A long process of revision and reworking lies ahead, but still, great to have a full draft of my upcoming textbook on early modern Scotland finally complete!
April 10, 2025 at 9:49 AM
My textbook, 'Early Modern Scotland: Themes in Focus', is coming along nicely. It's designed as an introduction to early modern Scotland built around key themes. I'm curious, though, if there are any obvious topics I've left out? If anybody thinks so, let me know now, before it's too late!
March 23, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Delighted to have written a wee blog for @edinburghup.bsky.social to mark the publication of my new book, 'Serious Crime in Late Seventeenth-Century Scotland'. Have a read to learn about some of periods most sensational criminal trials!

euppublishingblog.com/2025/03/20/e...
euppublishingblog.com
March 20, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Some of the details revealed in this hearing are genuinely jaw-dropping. Just an extraordinary few hours of testimony about the situation at the University of Dundee.
www.scottishparliament.tv/meeting/educ...
Education, Children and Young People Committee | Scottish Parliament TV
www.scottishparliament.tv
March 19, 2025 at 5:10 PM
After this morning's Holyrood evidence session, can we now definitively bin the 'you need to pay huge salaries to get the best people' narrative?
March 19, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Such a terrible and difficult situation for staff, especially my professional services colleagues who are being lined up to absorb the bulk of the cuts. That things can have got this bad, this quickly is completely incomprehensible.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Dundee University to cut 632 jobs to plug £35m deficit
The University and College Union condemned the
www.bbc.co.uk
March 12, 2025 at 11:09 AM
So, so devastated to see History Scotland magazine come to an end with the Spring 2025 issue. It has been a pleasure to work on the magazine over the past 10 years, and its loss is a big blow to those working on, or interested in, Scottish History.
February 26, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Delighted to have had another journal article accepted for submission, my first one in a couple of years! 'Prosecuting Rape in Seventeenth-Century Scotland' should hopefully be out in the Journal of Scottish Historical Studies later this year! 🍾 🍾
February 19, 2025 at 10:53 AM
It exists!! 🍾 🍾
February 18, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Had a lovely time speaking to the History Hit 'After Dark' podcast about the Massacre of Glencoe. Have a listen to part 1 here, setting the general scene. Part 2, zooming in on the massacre itself, coming soon! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/g...
Glencoe Massacre: Hell in the Scottish Highlands
Podcast Episode · After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal · 02/13/2025 · 35m
podcasts.apple.com
February 13, 2025 at 4:01 PM
I *think* I've now settled on the final contents-list for my upcoming textbook, 'Early Modern Scotland: Themes in Focus'. Really enjoying writing it so far, and I hope the thematic synthesis it's intended to offer will be useful!
February 12, 2025 at 9:36 AM
Apparently my book, 'Serious Crime in Late Seventeenth-Century Scotland', is now available for pre-order! Use discount code NEW30 for 30% off!
edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-serious...
Serious Crime in Late Seventeenth-Century Scotland
Serious Crime in Late Seventeenth-Century Scotland
eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com
January 10, 2025 at 11:37 AM
Twins!
December 18, 2024 at 12:58 PM
Another brief dip back into social media to say...it finally exists! Just received my editor copies of 'Deviance and Marginality in Early Modern Scotland', and it looks very handsome indeed! On sale next month. Very proud of this volume, and very grateful to all the contributors for their hard work!
December 18, 2024 at 12:06 PM